http://hdl.handle.net/10379/125 2017-10-29T21:48:24Z http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6898 Lay theories regarding computer-mediated communication in remote collaboration Parke, Karl; Marsden, Nicola; Connolly, Cornelia Computer-mediated communication and remote collaboration has become an unexceptional norm as an educational modality for distance and open education, therefore the need to research and analyze students' online learning experience is necessary. This paper seeks to examine the assumptions and expectations held by students in regard to computer-mediated communication and how their lay theories developed and changed within the context of their practical experiences in conducting a remote collaborative project, through computer-mediated communication. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of students' final reports from an inter-institutional online course on computer-mediated communication and remote collaboration. The results show that students' assumptions were altered and indicate the strong benefits of teaching how to collaborate remotely, especially if a blended approach of theory and practical application are combined. 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6897 Retention initiatives for ICT based courses Connolly, Cornelia; Murphy, Eamonn Unlike our European neighbours, Ireland failed to develop its educational system in the immediate postwar years and it was only in 1967 that second-level education was provided free to all citizens. Since 1970, the educational system has been greatly expanded at second and third level to bring it into line with the EU norm. Two thirds of the generation who are retiring from the labour force today left school at 14 or less, and less than 10% of them had the benefit of third-level education. By contrast, 80% of the school leaving cohort last year completed second-level education and over 50% continued on to third-level education. However, how many of these students will complete their studies at their third level institute? An examination of completion rates among students on IT based courses in Dundalk Institute of Technology shows that a large proportion of students who enrol do not finish within the normal duration for their program, and a significant number do not complete their course at all. This is typical of universities and colleges throughout Ireland and globally. Retention rates in 1st year computing courses at Dundalk IT are typically 50–60% for Software Development streams and 60–80% for Application and Support programs [1]. The importance of student success in higher education is incontestable and improving student retention and achievement has, a particularly high priority for the majority of third level institutes of higher education. The issue of retention of students on computing courses in Ireland is particularly manifest in third level educational institutes, where a combination of falling numbers of applicants and reduction in entry points standards, have combined to significantly change the profile of incoming students. High retention rates in computing courses are worrying, especially for Ireland, who was declared once as leader in software development. The probable decline in students studying computing and graduating successfully is alarming for IT companies who have invested substantially in the Irish economy. 2005-10-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6885 Performance anxiety in academia: Tensions within research assessment exercises in an age of austerity Holland, Charlotte; Lorenzi, Francesca; Hall, Tony The current recessionary economic climate in Ireland has (re-)awakened a neoliberal agenda that is changing the dynamic of what is being valued within research assessment exercises, specifically across Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) disciplines in higher education. Research assessment exercises in AHSS disciplines now place a greater emphasis on measuring performance in terms of quantitative research metrics (such as: bibliometrics, impact factors and/or citation indices), in an attempt to demonstrate greater accountability and value-for-money within this age of austerity. This practice has the potential to impact negatively on the quality and diversity of research, as well as on the independence and autonomy of those undertaking AHSS research in Ireland and elsewhere. This article critically reviews research assessment exercises, with particular reference to the assessment of educational research in Ireland. It examines issues in the assessment of research within the neoliberal agenda that is evident in Ireland, and elsewhere. For example, in other jurisdictions, the neoliberal drive for accountability has been accompanied by an increase in 'citation clubs', a malpractice involving a group of researchers consistently citing each other's work to increase their citation index. It also challenges the validity of utilising predominantly quantitative research metrics in light of the recent move towards the online publication of research, where the manipulation of meta-data (key words that describe the research) has the potential to unfairly increase the citation indices of those researchers with a better understanding of search optimisation techniques within online contexts. The discussion concludes by summarising some of the emerging and emergent anxieties in relation to assessing research performance within assessment exercises. 2016-08-24T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6836 R-NEST: Design-based research for technology-enhanced reflective practice in initial teacher education Thompson Long, Bonnie; Hall, Tony This paper reports research into developing digital storytelling (DST) to enhance reflection within a specific professional learning context - that of a programme of teacher education while concomitantly producing a transferrable design framework for adaption into other, similar post-secondary educational contexts. There has been limited substantive, evaluative design-based research investigating empirically the potential of digital storytelling for reflection in professional, post-secondary education. Consequently, there has also been a lack of robust and reusable models to guide and inform design-based research in this context. This paper illustrates the development of a repeated study, undertaken on a longitudinal basis, over 3 years, and on a large scale, involving 323 pre-service teachers. The design-based research developed at the three key stages along the triadic spectrum of maturity: from (1) analysis and exploration, through (2) design and construction, to (3) evaluation and reflection (Kopcha, Schmidt, & McKenney, 2015). The innovation reported here is now a mature intervention, constituting a core part of the professional educational formation of pre-service teachers within a two-year, graduate teacher education programme. Further, the R-NEST design framework, which emerged from this longitudinal design-based research, enumerates key criteria and principles for designing, implementing and evaluating DST to enhance reflective practice in post-secondary professional education. 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z